Vancouver, BC -- (April 26, 2023) -- GLOBAL HEMP GROUP INC. (“GHG” or the “Company”) (CSE: GHG / OTC Markets: GBHPF / FRANKFURT: GHG) is pleased to announce that in a continuing effort to expand its ongoing hemp related business endeavours, it has embarked on an initiative to combine hemp-based construction with affordable housing to create carbon negative affordable housing in the Victoriaville area, in Quebec.
The project is founded on GHG’s vision of developing its Hemp Agro-Industrial Zone (HAIZ) which focuses on minimizing transport and carbon emissions in the production of hemp-based housing materials and other hemp related products.
The construction of a six-unit building with hempcrete blocks is the central feature of this initial pilot project and will also introduce several other building innovations. The project will also use cement-free, carbon-negative concrete which uses industrial by-products and captured CO2 (eg. CarbiCrete products https://carbicrete.com/technolog) panels to further reduce the carbon footprint of the building. The principal function of the pilot project will be to generate information on the construction process and performance of the building from thermal, hygrometric, and acoustic perspectives under real life conditions. Strength and fire-retardant properties will also be investigated. This information will be used to seek inclusion in Quebec’s building code. In collaboration with Innov Habitat Victo, the newly created affordable housing authority in Victoriaville, Quebec, the project will explore management mechanisms to seek out its target population among low-income seniors, visible minorities and single-mother households, and to find ways to involve them to reduce maintenance costs of the building.
The proposed building will capture at least 20t CO2e in addition to avoiding 125t CO2e if a similar building was built with conventional materials, thus transforming affordable housing into a carbon sink.
GHG has assembled a team committed to the concept of durable construction to implement this project; BGA Architectes https://bga.archi and HECO Innovation https://www.heco-innovation.com.
Background on the Team
Bourassa Gaudreau & Associs Architectes (BGA Architectes) has built its reputation by offering personalized and quality architectural and project management services. They have more than 30 years experience in durable construction, the use of natural or non-polluting materials and energy efficiency in residential, commercial and industrial buildings.
HECO Innovation was founded three years ago by two engineers determined to act and offer construction solutions that are less harmful to the environment and human health. HECO (Hemp Engineering Carbon Zero) is a company that develops innovative solutions for integration of hemp-lime concrete, to make it an ingenious material of first choice in the construction and insulation of residential and commercial buildings. They have been successful in replacing hydraulic lime, the most expensive component in hempcrete binder and a product that cannot be directly sourced in Canada.
In addition to designing its own compounds, HECO specializes in the prefabrication of hemp insulating elements with high thermal mass, thus ensuring better humidity control and significantly improved comfort inside living environments. The varied range of HECO products allows the complete insulation of a new or old building, the elimination of thermal bridges in hard-to-reach places, a level of interior finish adapted to the needs of the customer, and a consulting service complete for the design of a high-performance and ecological envelope.
Having Innov Habitat Victo representatives on the team will prove very helpful as they are familiar with local municipal authorities and are knowledgeable regarding the housing market in the area.
The project will also seek the collaboration of a research team from Universit de Sherbrooke’s civil engineering department to address the following issues:
| | testing of alternate binders in hempcrete to replace hydraulic lime |
| | seeking an alternative to cement and steel rebars in the concrete structural elements |
| | monitoring the performance of the materials and of the building once occupied. |
Initial Funding for The Project
The project was recently submitted into Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Round 4: Housing Supply Challenge, Building for the Future: Innovative Construction for Housing Affordability. Successful applicants of this stage will be notified by mid-July, will be invited to participate in stage 2 and will receive up to $150,000 to further the design and prepare a feasibility plan for the project, which is required to be submitted by December 2023. Projects that make it through this final selection will be notified by March 2024 and will share in the $37.5 million allocated to the successful applicants.
Hemp Agro-Industrial Zone (HAIZ)
The production of hemp, its processing into building materials and the proximity of a sizeable housing market all within less than 10 km, created conditions that are ideal for the development of a HAIZ in the Victoriaville area. In the earlier versions of the concept, all of the HAIZ activities from farming to housing came under one umbrella, which meant very significant investments in land and land development were required, creating challenges for funding and farm management.
The idea of proximity to farming, right through to processing and housing is central to the HAIZ concept, but having centralized management is not essential, as is being explored in Qubec. GHG has ventured into this area, as conditions are suitable for a pilot project given public support for affordable housing, municipal industrial parks competing to offer attractive conditions, a thriving agricultural community and proximity to lime sources to produce hempcrete. Added to this is Qubec’s commitment to decarbonizing its economy which makes hempcrete housing attractive.
This pilot project will guide GHG’s future investments in developing a Hemp Agro-Industrial Zone in Qubec.